A Brand New Day
by GooseLives
Summary: SethSummer pairing, because him and Anna together bothers me way too much...lol
1. Chapter 1

A Brand New Day  
  
Keep running! Don't look back! Never stop! Don't get comfortable; nothing lasts forever. You'll be left alone, like you always are. Don't stop!  
  
Summer winced as the cold harsh words reverberated in the blank white prison of her subconscious.  
  
Don't stop! He'll leave you too...  
  
The final echo of those words drove her from her restless sleep with a start, like a push into a bottomless pit. Despite her ferocious attempts to do so, Summer couldn't move. Something was holding her back.  
  
Daring a peek, she forced her eyes open, one at a time, and was met with more sterile white. All the stacks of Sports Illustrated, all of the worn children's toys, and even the pale pink curtains that dressed the windows of the waiting room for the I.C.U couldn't sway Summer into believing that anyone in that hospital really cared.  
  
For the moment they had someone on the table, those doctors may feign concern, but there had been many more before and there would be many more to come. Patients were nothing more than paychecks in this town. Frankly, the fact that her friend's life was in the hands of these people scared the hell out of her.  
  
Her sharp brown eyes, alive and sparkling with awareness, carefully scanned the perimeter of the room. A woman was crying in the far corner, gripping a worn baseball cap as a nurse brought her a clipboard, brimming with papers to be signed. A few seats over, an elderly couple sat in silence, holding each other's hands.  
  
And then there was Marissa's half of the room. Ryan was doing what he did best, brooding silently and staring off into space. Mrs. Cooper was yelling at her lawyer on her cell phone, trying to forget that her husband was in the general vicinity. Marissa's dad was devastated. All he could do was sit in the uncomfortable chair he had been given with his head in his hands, probably blaming himself. Sandy and Kirsten Cohen looked stricken, but at least they had each other. Every once in a while, they would squeeze each other's hand or give a reassuring smile. It was comforting to see that not all couples in Newport were complete messes.  
  
That still left one person. Her gaze continued to wander until it fell upon her captor. Seth Cohen appeared to be sleeping soundly, and she quietly watched him as his head shifted or his nose twitched. She felt his chest beneath her, rising and falling with each slow, even breath. He looked so peaceful, so innocent, so-  
  
"So, do I pass inspection, or what?" he asked with a boyish grin and a warm chuckle, only opening one eye fully to peek out at Summer. He knew she'd shoot back with something, she always did. Even if she was pissed at him, at least the issue of Marissa would go away for a while.  
  
Like a dead salmon, but an adorable dead salmon, her mouth widened in horror as she pulled free of his grasp. "You're despicable, you know that?" Summer said, punctuating her strong words with periodic jabs at his chest with her pointer finger.  
  
"Oh, Summer! Don't taunt me with such flowery compliments for you will surely spoil me," Seth replied, coolly with a smile, pulling his body upright in the waiting room chair.  
Hands on her hips and one foot tapping steadily on the linoleum floor to keep her from strangling him, she replied, "Too late for that, Cohen!"  
  
Seth looked at her in profound disbelief. "Look who's talking!" he retorted, extremely proud of his comeback, until he saw her wince.  
  
Well, he'd done it again. Summer could handle practically any insult with grace, but Cohen's spoiled rich girl cracks always managed to get to her. He made her feel so low, when all she wanted to do was impress him.  
  
Shaking her head, she recovered quickly. "'You started it! No you did!' Good God, I feel like I'm talking to a nine year-old!" Turning on her heel, she stormed off to the opposite side of the room to the elevator, muttering something about going to the cafeteria to the adults in the room.  
  
"Summer," Seth called, following her to the elevator, "Summer, I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said." The doors opened and she quickly stepped inside, blocking his entrance and refusing to meet his eyes, brimming with concern. "It came out before I realized that-," at that moment the elevator closed, leaving Seth alone, in a room full of people, to suffer with guilt for the second time that evening. "I'm just sorry."  
* * * * 


	2. Capter 2

Disclaimer: Yeah....so kids, I don't even own a car, so the rights to these characters is out of the question...please don't sue me, because I don't have a job or an allowance and all you'll get is my Chicago: Greatest Hits CD, lol.  
  
Summary: Seth/Anna/Summer...This hints at a love triangle not a threesome, to those who have asked...lol...I'm making this up as I go, bear with me please.  
  
A Brand New Day (Chapter 2)  
  
Days passed by slowly and were just about as carefree as a colonic. Marissa was conscious, but still hospitalized, and of course the entire free world was talking about Tijuana and distorting the facts, which didn't help matters any. When Seth heard that she was trampled during an orgy with some coke-snorting emus, he knew he was back in Newport: home sweet home.  
  
On the Sunday before school began, Seth was catching up on his Ultimate Spider-Man before World History and Math dominated his reading time, when Ryan came tearing down the stairs and into the kitchen.  
  
"Hey, man. Come with me and visit Marissa? Her dad called and said she's pretty down." He was out of breath and looked like a train wreck, so it never occurred to Seth to turn him down. If it was even possible, his "brother" had been looking even more disheartened than usual as of late. Ah, the trials and tribulations of love.  
  
Closing his comic, Seth took his feet off the counter and stood up. "Sure man."  
  
Ryan pushed him towards the sliding doors, but stopped suddenly. "Hold on a sec," he said, running up the staircase once more, "I have something for her!"  
  
With a sigh and a smile, Seth shook his head and turned back to the island. Knowing Atwood, he'd take a year and a day, so there was no point in wasting valuable Web-Slinger time. But no sooner had he reached the stool when the front doorbell rang.  
  
"Someone really doesn't like me up there," he said, casting his eyes skyward before going to answer the door. "Don't worry, Ryan. I've got it!" he yelled. "Why don't we have a doorman?"  
  
The bell soon started ringing in a constant stream of chimes, double- time. "Cool it, will you? I'm coming, you impatient son-of-a--" Seth cried, throwing the door open.  
  
"Hey, Summer." He surprised himself with how quickly he went from livid to coolly confident. It had to be a record. He made a mental note to look that up in the new Guinness Book when he got back.  
  
"What the hell, Seth. The house isn't that big!" she said, her arms crossed over her chest while she tapped her foot, looking somewhat less than amused.  
  
He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms too. Now he was ready for combat. "Oh, but you'd be surprised. I was entertaining Playboy Bunnies in our underground wine cellar, Hugh's place is under construction. I'm sorry for the delay, but the doorman is recovering from a trick knee."  
  
Summer narrowed her eyes at him, but she couldn't stop the hint of a smile that played across her glossy pink lips. "Funny, Cohen. You're a regular George Corwin--"  
  
"I think the name you were searching for was George Carlin. Comedian, about seventy years old, gray hair, pony tail. Ring a bell?" he asked with a grin.  
  
"That's what I said. Anyway, that's so off topic. Don't you want to know why I'm here?"  
  
Seth feigned deep thought, rubbing his chin with his thumb and forefinger. As if the light bulb had just flickered on, he pointed to her. "Aha! You've realized you can't live without me and you've brought a single suitcase so we can elope to Vegas!"  
  
"Some stalker you are. One suitcase? Come on, you know me better than that. And besides, that is nowhere near why I'm here."  
  
With a sheepish grin and a shrug, Seth replied, "A guy can dream, huh? So, please, I'd be delighted to know why you are gracing my stoop this afternoon. Shoot."  
  
"Oh, believe me, I'd love to!" Summer said menacingly, before continuing, "I got a call from Mr. Cooper to come visit Marissa, but I have no way of getting there, and I'm not taking public transit." She shuddered at the thought of the dirty seats, the horny bus drivers, and its gun- toting patrons. "So, can you guys take me?"  
  
"Well cue the Alanis Morisette music, because Ryan and I were just getting ready to go." Throwing a hand behind him in the direction of the second floor, he elaborated, "Lover Boy went up to get something for her, but-"  
  
Seth was robbed of his words as Ryan came running down the stairs once more. "Speak of the devil," he sighed, shaking his head, "You didn't go up looking that way."  
  
With a nonchalant shrug, Ryan examined the blue and white striped, short sleeved, collared shirt and perfectly pressed khaki pants that replaced his rumpled vintage tee and ripped jeans. "I wanted to look nice for her."  
  
"And so falls another man to the trappings of the female sex," Seth mused with a jaunty salute as he led the motley crew to the car at the end of the driveway. Mumbling under his breath with a ghost of a smile, he added, "When is it my turn?" 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Hey there, I own absolutely nothing so don't sue...please?  
  
Rated PG-13...It's better to be safe than sorry...  
  
Summary: I got very lax in updating after the first two chapters and a lot of things have happened that I need to work into the mix. Basically, it's a Seth/Summer pairing because I really don't like Anna with him...deal with it.  
  
A Brand New Day (Chapter 3)  
  
"That went well," Seth said with an exasperated sigh as he dropped the keys to the Range Rover onto the counter and made a bee-line for the fridge.  
  
Ryan didn't even respond, he simply stepped out onto the back patio and started for the pool house, where he would probably hole himself up for hours to do nothing but sulk. Of course, Seth didn't blame him. He had all the reason in the world to sulk.  
  
The day's visit with Marissa had been hard on all of them, but Ryan seemed to gain sustenance from blaming himself for her condition and had been sticking to that policy with great fervor.  
  
Julie Cooper also seemed to enjoy guilt tripping him, but that was most likely because she had nothing else better to do. Yes, griping had become her new favorite past time because, of course, she was too poor to shop and giving a damn about her suicidal daughter was too much of a drag.  
  
It was amazing how, in just a few short months, the entire facade of perfection that had been Newport had been reduced to ruins. Shaking his head, Seth grabbed the carton of orange juice and headed for the living room where he planned to drown out the woes of the world with a few video games.  
  
No sooner had he plopped down on the carpeted floor then the Cohen doorbell sounded. "You have got to be kidding me?!" he exclaimed with another sigh as he pulled himself to his feet and jogged to the front door.  
  
Pulling open the left side, his eyes widened as they fell upon Anna, the girl from the debutante ball. She looked up at him with a smirk through her heavily rimmed brown eyes and said, "Hey, Seth."  
  
After a few attempts to speak something coherent crashed and burned in a sea of stammering, he was interrupted by her throaty chuckle and catch phrase: "Confidence, Cohen."  
  
"Wha-Trust me, this isn't the result of a decided lack of confidence, just a lot of shock," he replied, leaning on the door jamb for support. At her suspicious squint, he immediately corrected himself. "And I mean 'shock' in the best sense of the word!"  
Training his eyes downward in embarrassment, Seth elaborated. "This may be a bit hard for you to digest, but I don't get many beautiful women on my doorstep asking for me. Today has just been a bit off." Realization dawning in his statement, he grinned and looked up once more. "So, Anna, why are you here anyway?"  
  
Raising an eyebrow, she replied simply, "At your suggestion that your neglected ego has had an overtaxing day, I probably shouldn't say, but in truth, I missed you. There aren't many people with whom I can have intelligent discussions about the Amazing Spider-Man. Believe me, I've tried. But I got too many 'Toby McGuire is the sexiest man alive' comments."  
  
Seth smiled, his stomach flopping over as he relished in the delightful feeling of being wanted, and not spurned by members of the opposite sex. "I hear you, sister. Although, I must agree, Toby McGuire is undeniably attractive." Putting his fingers beneath his chin in a contemplative manner, he continued, "Personally, I've always had a thing for the underdog."  
  
"Yeah," she said slowly. Deliberately slow. "Me too." Not allowing him time to read any deeper into her statement, she asked, "So, are you going to let me in, or not?"  
  
Seth feigned deep thought. "Hmmm, let me think...of course!" Stepping aside, he offered his hand and helped her into the foyer. This was going to be interesting. Very interesting. 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Hey there, I own absolutely nothing so don't sue...please?  
  
Rated: PG-13...It's better to be safe than sorry...  
  
Summary: I got very lax in updating after the first couple of chapters and a lot of things have happened that I need to work into the mix. Basically it's a Seth/Summer pairing, Anna's just there to make things interesting...lol. Enjoy!  
  
A Brand New Day (Chapter 4)  
  
"Hey! You can't do that!" Seth cried, punching the buttons on his controller with such fervor that his shoulders even leaned in the directions his character moved on the screen.  
  
Anna laughed evilly, watching as the little Donkey Kong that Seth was powering exploded and flew off the tiny floating island they were battling on. "The beauty of being Kirby is his flying power. You can't ask me not to take advantage," she said with a smile.  
  
He took a fraction of a second to send a withering stare her way, but she took the initiative and threw another bomb at DK, sending him to the grave once more. With a frustrated growl, Seth said, "Well, in Smash Brothers-ology, it is an understood rule that Kirby should hover lower so Donkey Kong can at least commit with it! Why not jump into the fray, Miss Confidence?"  
  
Looking over at him she smiled, slowly lowering Kirby to the huge ape's level...before throwing a box at him and killing its last life. Anna valiantly suppressed her laughter as she watched his mouth drop open and his controller slip out of his hands while he watched her little bubble accept the trophy. "Why so quiet, Seth?"  
  
Seth turned to face her and sneered briefly before offering his hand in concession. "Good match, Anna. But just remember, you may have won this game, but there will be others."  
  
She threw her head back and laughed, causing a huge grin to over take his features. Anna was so beautiful, partly because she was usually chuckling or smiling. She made him feel good, which was an incredibly rare sensation in itself.  
  
"So," he said, leaning his arm on the couch cushion and his head against his hand, "How was your trip, anyway? I forgot to ask."  
  
She sighed and her eyes drifted shut for a few moments as she was drawn back. "Oh, Seth, Tahiti was incredible. The sunsets there...I've never seen anything so beautiful in my entire life." Her warm brown eyes rose and slammed into his as she smiled. "One day, you and I will sail down. Just us and the open ocean. You'll love it."  
  
Sitting upright, he jokingly clapped his hands together and said, "I'm game, let's go!" Rising to his feet, he humored her bubbling laughter and paused. "Wait! Are we going to take your yacht or mine?"  
  
She reached out her hands to him and he helped her to her feet. Still giggling, she replied, "Hold on, Huck. Wow, I don't think I've laughed that hard in a while." Anna looked up at him, her natural pink lips quirked into a half-smile, and ruffled his hair. "You're one hell of a guy, Seth Cohen."  
  
"And you're pretty awesome yourself, Anna Stern," he replied. Seth couldn't tell if it was the unstable California dirt shifting beneath them or her, but she was moving closer and closer by the second.  
  
Like watching the scene in slow motion, he felt their lips connect in a quick kiss. It wasn't desperate or furious, but nice. He could hardly stop the grin that crossed his face afterwards, but Anna bolted, throwing a quick "Good bye" over her shoulder as she ran out the front door, slamming it behind her.  
  
"The perfect ending to the perfect day," he said shaking his head as he sat down on the couch and flipped on the TV, watching as news came in on a mudslide in San Diego, the Govonator's latest speech full of fun Austrian pronunciations, and a Golden Retriever mowing its owner's lawn in Venice Beach. Shaking his head, he sighed with a smile, "Good, it's not just me." 


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Nothing's changed...I'm still poor and own nothing. Don't even bother to sue because you won't get much.  
  
Rating: PG-13 because I still don't know how far I'm going to take this and it covers my...butt.  
  
Summary: Wow...this chapter is crappy filler and these next few chapters are going to be so cliché O.C. it's not even funny, so bear with me...basically it's a Seth/Summer pairing with Anna loafing about in the works. Enjoy, my pretties, and REVIEW...please?  
  
A Brand New Day (Chapter 5)  
  
"Are you sure you want to do this, Coop?" Summer asked, sitting down on the edge of Marissa's bed to strap on her new black stiletto sandals. "You-know-who is going to be there, probably wasted, and he'll be all over you-know-who, who will most definitely be wasted," she added, with a grimace, "Ew! Just the thought makes me want to puke!"  
  
With a small smile, she shook her head and continued applying her pale pink lipstick. "Wow...somehow I understood that."  
  
She let out a soft chuckle. "I didn't, but I think you have spent more time with me than I have." Pausing, she contorted her face in confusion once more. "I don't think that made sense either. I'm having a very blonde day."  
  
"It happens to the best of us," Marissa said with a smile and a glance back to her friend. Smacking her lips together to get the final effect in the mirror, she nodded in approval and turned around. "So how do I look?"  
  
"Great, Coop," she replied quickly, concerned for her friend and unwilling to have her point fall victim to her own inability to focus on one topic at a time. Raising her eyes to Marissa's she was very solemn. "You don't have to do this, you know that right?"  
  
With a sigh, she plopped down on the bed beside her friend. "Summer, I have to do it sometime. I can't give up every thing I know just because of Luke's mistake. It's time to move on."  
  
Nodding, Summer replied, "I know. Just stick by me okay? And keep away from his PDA's and the margaritas. You scared the hell out of me in T.J. and I don't ever want to come that close to losing you again."  
  
Overwhelmed by the sincerity that laced her friend's words, she wrapped her arms around the petite girl and smiled into her hair, blinking back tears. "I won't, Summer. Thanks for everything, okay? I don't think I tell you enough how much I appreciate your friendship."  
  
With a sniffle and a brilliant grin, Summer pulled out of the hug and swiped away some stray eyeliner pools from beneath Marissa's eyes. "Ah, shut up, Coop. You're gonna make my make-up run...wait...did that make sense?"  
  
Marissa's clear, radiant laughter rang out in the small bedroom as she rose to her feet and replied, "Let's get you out into the fresh air before you go completely nuts, okay, Sum? Having a shrink isn't all it's cracked up to be." Helping her friend to her feet, they left the apartment and made their way to Holly's party. 


End file.
